The Baseball Big Bang Theory: A Group That Needs a Successful 2014

The calendar officially has turned to 2014 and there are plenty of people in baseball who would just like to forget all about 2013.

Some are players who are coming off injury-riddled or below-average seasons. Others are managers who are on the hot seat and need their teams to perform, while others are teams or programs looking for bounce-back seasons in the coming year or looking to break through the glass ceiling that enclosed them in 2013.

Here are 10 players, managers or teams that I feel are looking for rebound seasons in 2014 or that I have high expectations for.

10) Justin Verlander

The former Cy Young winner did not post award-winning numbers in 2013 and will be looking to return to form in 2014. Verlander finished 2013 with a 13-12 record and a 3.46 ERA. These are not terrible numbers by any means, but they are nowhere near his 2011 totals of 24-5 and 2.40 ERA. His strikeout totals continue to decline and fans in Detroit have started to ponder what the mighty Tiger has left in his arm. If the Tigers are too repeat in the American League Central in 2014 they will need a return to form from Verlander to fight off the upstart Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals.

9) The Texas Longhorns

The Longhorns are coming off one of their worst seasons under longtime skipper Augie Garrido. Texas finished with a 27-24 winning season overall in 2013 but was 7-17 in Big 12 play. The Horns were just 4-8 at home in conference play and finished last in the Big 12 after winning titles from 2009-11. Garrido is the most successful coach in Division I college baseball and will be hunting for a successful 2014 campaign.

8) The Topeka West Chargers

Topeka West was the last USD 501 school to win a state title in baseball back in 2003. The Chargers under coach John Tetuan need to become a baseball power. Topeka High has dominated the football scene in 501, while Highland Park has been a basketball power under Ken Darting. It’s time the Chargers build off a 10-12 2013 record and begin building a baseball dynasty. A non-winning 2014 season would be a big disappointment to this prep sports writer.

7) The Toronto Blue Jays

No team in baseball was a bigger disappointment last season than the Blue Jays. After big trades and free agent acquisitions before the 2013 season, the team from Canada had huge expectations. However, injuries and under-achievement left the Blue Jays in the basement of the American League East with a 74-88 mark. Shortstop Jose Reyes played in just 93 games in 2013, and Toronto will need him and pitchers R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle to produce in 2014. Dickey and Buehrle each had ERAs over 4.00 and only combined to win 26 games while combining for 23 losses -- not numbers you expect from guys with strong pedigrees.

6) Tucson Padres

The Triple-A affiliate in Tucson was last in the Pacific Coast League in attendance. The T-Padres drew just over 2,800 fans per game in 2013 and that is a number that makes it difficult to keep stadium operations running. Tucson lost baseball in 2009 when the then Tucson Sidewinders moved to Reno, Nev. If Tucson, which also no longer hosts a team during spring training, wants to continue to host professional baseball, then the team needs to win ballgames, kick up marketing efforts and draw fans to get out to the ball yard.

5) Mike Scioscia

There are five new managers taking over ball clubs in 2014, but the longest tenured manager in baseball will be on the hot seat this season. The Angels finished 2013 with a 78-84 record and in third place in the American League West. Manager Mike Scioscia has seen a steady decline in his win totals in Southern California the last two seasons. With the amount of money that Angel ownership has invested in player contracts the past couple of years, expectations for higher returns on investment are sure to dominate headlines. The Angels are a team that needs to win in 2014 or changes will be made. Those changed usually start with the manager.

4) The Kansas City T-Bones

The T-Bones had an odd 2013 Independent Baseball campaign in 2013. They were second in the American Association in attendance, drawing more than 5,000 fans a game to the stadium. That is a huge number when you take into consideration that the team finished with a 40-60 record. Kansas City has a new manager in place for 2014, and John Massarelli and the T-Bones may need to start winning ballgames if they still want to continue to draw well at the gates.

3) Starlin Castro

The young Chicago Cubs shortstop was supposed to be the face and centerpiece of a Cubs rebuilding project. Yet, for the past two seasons his hit totals and batting average have declined while his number of strikeouts have increased. He is still just 23 years old, but he needs to have a hit total in 2014 more similar to his 2011 total of 207 as opposed to the 163 he collected in 2013. The Cubs have a lot of talented young offensive prospects. If Castro wants to keep his job on the north side of Chicago and truly become the nucleus of this Cubs team, then he needs a huge rebound campaign in 2014.

2) Houston Astros

After a 51-111 record in 2013, it’s hard to point the finger at any one individual in the Houston organization for an awful campaign. Yet, without some kind of positive turn in 2014 the once-proud organization could land itself to being completely irrelevant in baseball. Owner Jeff Crane, general manager Jeff Lunhow and manager Bo Porter have their work cut out for them. Houston was 28th out of 30 in attendance last season and near the bottom of the league in road attendance. It seems very few want to watch this team play and that’s a shame. Moving to the American League in 2103, you would have thought more fans would have come out to see the visiting American League teams, but that did not even help in Houston. Houston does not need to win the World Series in 2014, but it does need to add at least 12-20 wins and get back over 2 million drawn to the park.

1) Todd Butler

There will be a lot of pressure put on the new coach of the Wichita State Shockers. The Shockers had a winning 2013 season and made the NCAA Tournament, but it was not enough to save the job of Wichita baseball legend Gene Stephenson. Butler was hired to be his replacement and there will be a win-now mentality at Eck Stadium from the get-go from Shocker season ticket-holders. If Butler flops in his first season of leading a D-I baseball program, he could be in a one-and-done situation in Wichita.

Horsehides and Red-Hots to everyone, Deck.

Jeremy "Deck" Deckard is a correspondent for the Topeka Capital-Journal sports department. His "View from the Upper Deck" baseball blog appears at CJOnline each Monday. He can be reached at UpperDeckard89@yahoo.com. Please put “UpperDeck” in the subject line of any emails. You can also follow Deck on Twitter at @UpperDeck89.